parenting questionnaire

This is a read-only copy of the parenting survey that was administered to viewers of DrPhil.com as well as audience members in the studio before the Dr. Phil show. A total of 20,031 volunteers participated in the study. Click here to view the Phase I results of the responses.

1. Are you or have you been a parent?

Yes

No

2. Your age:

16 - 20

21 - 25

26 - 30

31 - 35

36 - 40

41 - 45

46 - 50

51 - 55

56 - 60

61 +

3. Your gender:

Male

Female

4. Race:

Caucasian

African American

Hispanic

Asian

American Indian

Other

5. Residence address:

Northern U.S.

Southern U.S.

Western U.S.

Eastern U.S.

Central U.S.

Southeast U.S.

Northwest U.S.

Southwest U.S.

Northeast U.S.

Canada

6. How many children are you raising or have you raised?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

More than 8

Please indicate their ages according to the their gender:

7. First girl

3-4

5-6

7-8

9-10

11-12

13-14

15-16

16-17

None of the above

Not applicable

8. Second girl

3-4

5-6

7-8

9-10

11-12

13-14

15-16

16-17

None of the above

Not applicable

9. First boy

3-4

5-6

7-8

9-10

11-12

13-14

15-16

16-17

None of the above

Not applicable

10. Second boy

3-4

5-6

7-8

9-10

11-12

13-14

15-16

16-17

None of the above

Not applicable

11. What is your role in the household?

Mother

Father

Stepmother

Stepfather

Aunt

Uncle

Grandparent

Sibling

Other

12. Do you:

Stay at home with the kids

Work away from home

Other

13. How would you describe your type of family structure?

Biological mother and father present with child(ren)

Biological parent and step-parent with available biological co-parent

Biological parent and step-parent with no available or little availability of co- biological parent

No biological parents available (i.e., adoption)

Single parent

14. Do you have children with any kind of learning or physical disabilities?

Mental retardation

Learning disabilities

Sight problems

Hearing difficulties

Motor difficulties (walking and handling)

Mental difficulties

Other

Not applicable

15. What was the first crisis you faced in child rearing?

Teaching eating habits

Potty training

Disobedience

Temper tantrums

Unwillingness to listen

A fearful child's response

Developing trust

Sleep habits

Rebellion

None of the above (See question 16 for more)

16. What was the first crisis you faced in child rearing? (continued from above)

Hiding activities

Bad influences, such as friends

Drugs/alcohol

Sexual promiscuity

None of the above

17. When it comes to discipline, which works best?

Corporal punishment, such as spankings

Sitting down with your child and discussing consequences

A system of rewards and punishments

Letting the child express his/her needs while you try to understand the behavior as a communication

Time-outs

Give up and hide

To what extent do you perceive these as problems with American families today?

To what extent do the following characteristics describe the way you were raised?

Your caregivers were:

Not descriptive

Descriptive

64. Too authoritative

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

65. Not understanding

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

66. Too permissive

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

67. High expectations

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

68. Too religious

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

69. Selfish

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

70. Psychologically unsound

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

71. Too rule-ridden

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Do you find your parents responsible for any of the issues below that you may have experienced?

N/A

Parents not responsible

Parents responsible

72. Anxiety

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

73. Depression

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

74. Obsessive tendencies

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

75. Dependency

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

76. Avoidance of people

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

77. Instability

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

78. Low self-confidence

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

79. Self-loathing

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

80. Drug/alcohol problems

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

To what extent do you perceive the following values as crucial?

Unimportant

Crucial

81. Respect

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

82. Manners

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

83. Work ethic

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

84. Compassion

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

85. Kindness

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

86. Loyalty

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

87. Independence

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

88. Accountability

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

89. Self-pride

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

90. Self-discovery

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

From the perspective of your children, rank what you think they value about your parenting style:

Not valued

Highly valued

91. Authoritative

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

92. Understanding

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

93. Permissive

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

94. Democratic

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

95. Easygoing

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

96. High expectations

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

97. Religious

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

98. Rate the level of resentment you feel because of the sacrifices you've made as a parent:

None

A little, but it does not interfere with my life

Some, but it rarely bothers me in my life

Some, and it troubles me significantly

A lot, and I can get very emotional about it

99. Which best describes the methods of how you teach your children?

Specific classes or direction

Stories

Focusing on the demonstrations by others

Discussing family rules or identification as a family unit

Reading or giving them literature about these values

Relying on school or religious organization

No planned effort

Other

ESSAY QUESTIONS

1. What are the three most important things you want to know about raising kids?

2. What is the biggest mistake you made in child rearing?

3. What problems have you had with each child regarding sleep habits? (i.e., bedtime battles, being afraid, staying in parents' bed too long, etc.)

4. What problems have you had in developing close relationships with each child? (i.e., bonding, participating as a friend, dealing with issues of death or illness, dealing with spiritual issues, etc.)

6. What problems have you had with each child regarding discipline and guidance? (i.e. spoiling them, losing control, making punishments like time-outs work, finding discipline that works for each child, dealing with hitting, bullying, step-children differences, etc.)

7. What problems have you had with each child regarding anxieties and fears? (i.e., coping with stress, assigning blame to others, goal-setting, depression, etc.)

8. What problems have you had with each child regarding health habits? (i.e., diet, drugs, alcohol, sex, etc.)

9. What problems have you had with each child regarding specific developmental issues? (i.e., school performance, special learning problems, learning to build trusting relationships, self-confidence, friendship development, boy-girl relationships, having a sense of purpose, physical development, spiritual development, values, etc.)

10. What problems would you want advice on, now or in the future? (i.e., getting your child to listen, getting respect, having your child to do better in school)